Mrs. Patience Jonathan
Wife of the President, Mrs. Patience
Jonathan, on Monday said she was solidly behind the Supervising Minister
of Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, to take over from the Rivers State
Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, in 2015.
Wike, who was at a time Amaechi’s Chief
of Staff, has been at loggerheads with the governor since he (Amaechi)
started having a running battle with President Goodluck Jonathan and his
wife.
Mrs. Jonathan, who is also from Rivers
State, claimed in a statement by her media assistant, Ayo Adewuyi, that
the people of the state were behind Wike and were prepared to follow
him.
Though she claimed that she was not
meddling in the process of selecting candidates for the ruling Peoples
Democratic Party, the President’s wife described Wike’s ambition as a fait accompli.
She was reacting to a news report that
indicated that she was planning to install three governors in Bauchi,
Bayelsa and Rivers states.
The statement party reads, “While we
consider this a figment of the imagination of the writers of the
spurious
story, it is also expedient to state clearly that the First
Lady does not meddle in the affairs and selection process of the ruling
party, the PDP.
“Consequently, there is no way she can dictate or install anybody into political offices.
“In the case of Rivers State, the First
Lady wishes to state categorically that the Supervising Minister of
Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, is the leader of PDP in Rivers State and
he enjoys the followership of the people of the state. The First Lady is
solidly behind Chief Wike.
“The people of Rivers State are also solidly behind Chief Wike and are prepared to follow him.
“It is therefore mischievous to
insinuate that Mrs. Jonathan is working to ensure that the governorship
candidate comes from one of the riverine areas of Rivers State which may
not be where the people are going.
“It is also imperative to state that the
First Lady is always with the people and will continue to go with the
wish and expectations of the people.
“Mrs. Jonathan has not withdrawn her
support for Chief Wike at any time and will always work for the interest
and the good of Rivers people. As far as the First Lady is concerned,
there is no shaking in Rivers State.”
She described the report that she had
abandoned Wike as the handiwork of those she called mischiefmakers, who
were bent on promoting bickering and animosity among the people who had
always been together working for the improvement of Rivers State. She
said the report should be discountenanced.
Mrs. Jonathan also described the report
that she was positioning some other candidates to take over from the
incumbents in Bayelsa and Bauchi states as an attempt to pit them
against the governors.
“Dr. Waripomowei Dudafa is not only a
son to the President but his members of staff and very close to the
family. Dr. Dudafa is not ready to quit his job to contest governorship
election. Similarly, the FCT Minister has been a competent and loyal
appointee of Mr. President.
“Both of them are loyal to Mr. President
and their governors. They are sons of the First Lady as the mother of
the nation, who also has very cordial relationships with the governors
in question and will never interfere in any process that will lead to
the emergence of governorship candidates in the states.”
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